[Brian Jones]

[Joseph M. Morgan] “I still don’t see how the selection thing works… are we actually talking about a selection object, or a null?”

Selection Object allows you to put a list of items into it and it’s only function is to select all those items in the list at the same time to save you having to do it one by one.

[Brian Jones]

First, what Adam means by using a Selection Object is to put all the lights you want to control in a Selection Object (a collection of things you want to select/deselect all at once) and once all the lights you want to control are selected you can change the properties of all of them at the same time. (too blindingly obvious for me at the time 🙂

The xpresso ‘One Expression’ thing. The easy way to get objects (well, a reference to the object) is to drag it from the Object Manager into the XPresso. In this case I selected the 3 lights and dragged them into the XPression window I had attached to the null (it doesn’t have to be attached to the null – any object in the scene will do, it just makes sense to attach it to something related to the task).
To add a port on the left (input by default) or the right side (output by default) is to left-click on the blue or red square in the upper corner and choose the property you want to input or output.
XPresso is pretty deep but it doesn’t take much to do useful stuff.

[Brian Jones]

easiest way (because it writes it’s own xpresso) is to right-click on whatever property you want in your master light and choose Animation/Set Driver then choose all the lights you want to follow it then right click on the same property and choose Set Driven (probably Absolute in this case). If you look in the xpresso tags it makes you will see what’s going on and really one expression could do the whole thing with the driver light linking all the properties you want to control to all the driven lights. Check this example, it’s done both ways described as above for both only Intensity and color are controlled but it can be anything that is controllable.

https://homepage.mac.com/bdjones/.public/DriverLight.zip

[Brian Jones]

Bones/Dynamics? Clothhilde? Catus Dan’s new plugins? Best? Well it depends…

[Brian Jones]

Actually you can leave the bits in a null just like any deformer (and they can be Nurbs/Primitives).

check out this example I made https://homepage.mac.com/bdjones/.Public/ShipTwistBend.zip

I have bones/bend/twist in there with only the bones active. You can turn the bones off and the others on to play with those. Try moving the tip of the bone in the nose cone, watch what the fins do – it’s something you either have to limit with the available bone tools or make a
more complex rig. As I said if you want simple bends bones are a lot of work but they are also a lot more flexible in what they can do if you do need the control.

It you did want to combine the bits to a poly object I think the simplest way is to select the parent null and do a “Current State To Object” (which leaves the original hide it or toss it) – then in the new null select all the poly bits created and do a “Connect”. Other suggestions?

[Brian Jones]

it depends on the type of motion it’s going to do. Bend will bend something but not kinked over (like a human at the waist) like a banana should be not problem. Twisting could be done with the Twist deformer and both can be used at the same time, it just makes a difference which goes first. Bones are likely more versatile probably but also have their own limitations (smooth bends are harder – it wants to kink like a waist or an arm) and they are more work to set up but if you need/want what they give you do the dinosaur tail and the mime etc and go for it. If you need only what the other deformers will give you they are mostly much easier to deal with and you can leave all the bits in the null if you want.

[Brian Jones]

what kind of a bend? Perhaps the bend deformer will do what you want.

[Brian Jones]

After a bit of playing it looks like the Parallel Spot always has visibility that appears after what should be it’s start point as long as Edge Falloff is on (apparently the start gets a falloff too) Why that should look like it does at frame 380 and onward is very weird. I would send the file to Maxon and let them look at it. The light *is* animated by the way, it has rotation animation. I wouldn’t build it that way, the light should have no animation only the base since the light is a child and wouldn’t move if the base does not.

[Brian Jones]

the Cow doesn’t have an upload facility that I know of, you have to have a space of your own to put files and such.

[Brian Jones]

can you post the scene?